30. What Was Made to Carry Me | Act IV: The Last Ways Home

[Verse 1]
I stand upon the deck and face the sea,
The coffin they prepared lies close to me.
I once believed my voyage had to end,
Yet here I breathe beside my trusted friend.

[Verse 2]
I watch the carpenter refashion every side,
And seal the seams against the rising tide.
He hangs it where the watchmen stand at night,
A life-buoy waiting by the lantern light.

[Chorus]
What was made to carry me away,
May bear another through the salt and spray.
I lived, and so these boards are mine no more,
They wait to bear a sailor towards the shore.

[Verse 3]
Within those boards I pictured my last sleep,
And heard the distant turning of the deep.
But now the wind comes warmly to my face,
And bids me take again my working place.

[Verse 4]
I think of Ishmael beside my narrow bed,
And of the fears he carried, left unsaid.
The hand that held my rope above the sea,
Was there again when life returned to me.

[Chorus]
What was made to carry me away,
May bear another through the salt and spray.
I lived, and so these boards are mine no more,
They wait to bear a sailor towards the shore.

[Verse 5]
I cannot know whose hands may seize that frame,
Nor if I'll ever learn that sailor's name.
I only know that timber, sealed and strong,
May hold a stranger till help comes along.

[Verse 6]
I see it hanging ready by the rail,
A safeguard when a swimmer's strength may fail.
I sought its shelter when I thought I'd die,
Now let it keep another lifted high.

[Chorus]
What was made to carry me away,
May bear another through the salt and spray.
I lived, and so these boards are mine no more,
They wait to bear a sailor towards the shore.

[Outro]
The ship moves on beneath the open sky,
I watch the pale foam rise and hurry by.
The coffin waits, now fit to face the sea,
Its work belongs to someone other than me.

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[The Scene] Following Ahab’s unexpected tenderness towards Pip, attention returns to Queequeg, whose recovery has left the coffin prepared during his illness unused. Upon the deck of the Pequod, he watches as the ship’s carpenter transforms its carefully fitted wooden boards into a life-buoy, ready to support anyone who might fall into the sea. With Ishmael nearby, Queequeg reflects upon how an object intended to carry him in death may instead preserve another sailor’s life. He accepts its changed purpose with characteristic calm, grateful for his renewed strength and the friendship that sustained him through his illness. The transformed coffin now hangs aboard the ship, awaiting a purpose that none of the crew can yet foresee. [Verse 1] I stand upon the deck and face the sea, The coffin they prepared lies close to me. I once believed my voyage had to end, Yet here I breathe beside my trusted friend. [Verse 2] I watch the carpenter refashion every side, And seal the seams against the rising tide. He hangs it where the watchmen stand at night, A life-buoy waiting by the lantern light. [Chorus] What was made to carry me away, May bear another through the salt and spray. I lived, and so these boards are mine no more, They wait to bear a sailor towards the shore. [Verse 3] Within those boards I pictured my last sleep, And heard the distant turning of the deep. But now the wind comes warmly to my face, And bids me take again my working place. [Verse 4] I think of Ishmael beside my narrow bed, And of the fears he carried, left unsaid. The hand that held my rope above the sea, Was there again when life returned to me. [Chorus] What was made to carry me away, May bear another through the salt and spray. I lived, and so these boards are mine no more, They wait to bear a sailor towards the shore. [Verse 5] I cannot know whose hands may seize that frame, Nor if I'll ever learn that sailor's name. I only know that timber, sealed and strong, May hold a stranger till help comes along. [Verse 6] I see it hanging ready by the rail, A safeguard when a swimmer's strength may fail. I sought its shelter when I thought I'd die, Now let it keep another lifted high. [Chorus] What was made to carry me away, May bear another through the salt and spray. I lived, and so these boards are mine no more, They wait to bear a sailor towards the shore. [Outro] The ship moves on beneath the open sky, I watch the pale foam rise and hurry by. The coffin waits, now fit to face the sea, Its work belongs to someone other than me.

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